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Decisive Parenting teaches parents concrete skills for quickly and permanently altering their teenagers' problem behaviors, ranging from argumentativeness and neglecting chores or homework to more serious issues such as shoplifting, underage drinking, and drug use. Michael Hammond provides clear, easy-to-follow, and proven solutions to permanently stop negative behavior while establishing good behavior in its place. By adapting Hammond's "active consequences" strategy, parents can expect to see major changes in their teenagers' behavior in three to six weeks, as well as great improvement in the parent-child relationship.

Dr. Hammond has the ideal skill set to write this book: a background in parent training and family counseling with a sprinkling of parenting intervention research experience. He shows how to integrate family rules, workable consequences, and positive reinforcement into a strategy that will enhance parent-teen relationships. This book would be a great gift to the parent of a teen, or to someone whose child is soon to become a teen. It will help the parent set the course for a parent-child relationship based on fair boundaries with mutual respect. -- Blair Irvine, research scientist, Oregon Center for Applied ScienceDr. Hammond provides an excellent, step-by-step guide for parents to encourage positive change in their teenager's behavior. He provides practical applications and examples relevant to the many challenges parents currently face with their teenagers. This book empowers parents with tools to address difficult teenage behaviors that may have rendered them feeling hopeless and helpless. -- Megan Colvin, MS, national certified counselorThis book is an important and significant advancement in the genre of parenting manuals. It is composed in the tradition of works like Parent Effectiveness Training (Harris, 1962) and Living with Children (Patterson and Guillion, 1968). The writing and voice are clearly directed to parents who need help in bringing teenagers through difficult and often dangerous years. Hammond's book is practical and easy to read. It begins with principles of behavior and parenting that are soundly and deeply rooted in psychological theory as well as in common sense. Each section includes excellent examples. All parents will be able to relate to, understand, and easily implement the principles of parenting and family interaction that Hammond presents. Hammmond's coverage of issues is up-to-date and incorporates content reflective of the age of technology. This book is destined to be the next classic and 'must-have' for all parents and for professionals working with families of teenagers. -- Lawrence J. Ryan, PhD, Union Institute & University

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